- Happy ID4 folks…Heheh…Remember when that was the talk of theaters a few years back? Anyway, looks like we’ve got a very rare holiday update for ya today…Traditionally we take days off at times like this, but there’s a couple hours before I’m off to the family picnic, so it seemed like a good time to get caught up on a few things. Let’s take a look!
You are at the archive for the News category &rarr
View Askew 5 Second Draft Is Done!
- Kevin has already completed a second, shorter draft of View Askew 5, as he announced this past weekend. Seems this one runs 110 pages, so, going by the page a minute rule, the flick’s already down to 1:50 (and will likely be shortened even a bit more before all is said and done). Here’s Kev:
Busy weekend. Draft two is done. First draft was 130 pages. This draft is an even 110. Thanks to Scott and Jen who both had insightful perspectives and gave good notes.
Now, on to Green Arrow, issue two.
Latest Fletch Tidbits/Fletch Won Summary…
- Kevin has said that he plans to write and film Fletch Won just like the book, so we thought some of you might want to read the jacket description from the book itself. Keep in mind that this will summarize the flick from beginning to end, so there WILL be some spoilers here, but just general plot points. Read on if ya like, and keep in mind you’ll probably forget it all by the time you see the flick in about 2 years:
It’s Fletch’s first case. As a rookie reporter for the News-Tribune, he’s been covering all the routine stories no one else wants. With his already slightly skewed view of the world the young Fletch only manages to get himself and the paper into trouble -more trouble than his boss thinks he’s worth. As a last chance, he’s assigned to the society page to cover the story of Donald Habeck, a wealthy criminal lawyer who wants to donate $6 million to the local art museum.
It’s a simple public relations feature – until Habeck turns up dead in the parking lot of the News-Tribune and Fletch gets the opportunity he’s been waiting for.
Digging into the case, Fletch turns up a glut of suspects. First there is Habeck’s unhappy family; the certifiably crazy wife, an impoverished daughter, an avant-garde Poet of Violence, and the son who despised the old man so much he became a monk. Then there are Habeck’s former clients, including a convicted child molester just out of prison and a man who once faced a murder rap and now confesses to every violent crime in the city. And underneath it all, there’s a nagging, unanswered question: Why would Habeck, a man who made a fortune keeping society’s lowest out of prison, suddenly become a do-good philanthropist?
As Fletch outruns the cops, the crime reporter of the News-Tribune, the seductive hostess of the Ben Franklyn Friend Service (more than just an escort aganecy), a refugee from the federal Witness Protection program, and his own fiancee, he finally stumbles across the clue that can break the case wide open -and launch his legendary career.
Also, if you’d like to catch up on your Fletch now that Kevin’s getting involved, you can purchase electronic copies of the books at Gregory Mcdonald’s Official Web Site. Keep in mind that the books ARE out of print, so if you want paper copies, garage sales, auction sites, or libraries are your best bet.
View Askew NewsBites™
- A scooper chatted with Jay at Dragoncon last week. He was charging $10 for a signed pic and $5 for any other autographs. We heard he was very good to the fans and fun to talk with, though he did take an obligatory smoke break about every half hour!
- Online music site NightRaven Radio has a new radio show callled Music Askew on Friday Nights @ 10PM EST, playing not only music and clips from Kev’s flicks, but also music related to like Michael Ferrentino (doing the music for the upcoming Better Place). They also read regular tidbits from News Askew and more.
- Men’s Health has an article called “Men We Admire Most”, and Kevin makes the list under the “Authors and Media Figures” category. You can place your votes for your fave at their web site.
- Upcomingmovies.com, always up-to-date with the latest, have posted pages for the upcoming Fletch Won and View Askew 5 flicks. Coincidentally, we can think of another site that should have some pages for these flicks soon…
- Ben Affleck’s film ‘Reindeer Games’ has just been released in UK cinemas as ‘Deception’ (Rated 15). It would appear that the UK distributors decided at the last minute that ‘Reindeer Games’ wouldn’t sell in July as it sounds to Christmas-like.
- The DVD Festival in Las Vegas (July 8-10) has selected Mallrats among the “Best DVD Commentary” nominees for the VSDA Convention. Also, Chasing Amy debuted at #13 for Top DVD sellers. Not bad at all!
- Clerks will air on the Independent Film Channel tonight, check your local listings for air times!
- Sounds like Vulgar was seen by a few more lucky folks…Here’s a report just in from the Toronto Film Festival:
I got a friend who books films for the Toronto Film Festival and I guess Vulgar was submitted to them because my friend saw it. He said that he can’t see any distributor picking it up because it was too offensive but he said it was also witty and very funny. A couple of other programmers watched and also liked it a lot. So if everything goes well it should be playing the Toronto Film Festival.
- Finally today, congrats to News Askew reader Rob Miller, whose Jay & Silent Bob animation won for “Best Adaptation” at the Pixelfest website. Congrats!!!
We’re Back…
- Alright, a nice break in the crazy holiday weekend has given us the chance to catch up on the mailbox…Seems that we did manage to cover all the major news last time, so these minor stories should tide us over until the next top story. Oh, and be sure to vote in this week’s new poll topic about the Fletch flick, too.
Oh, and in case we don’t see ya before, have a nice Fourth of July (those of you in the States anyway). To the rest of ya, have fun going to work. Hehehe…
View Askew NewsBites™
- DVD Review has posted their review of the Chasing Amy DVD, and it’s quite thorough, complete with stills from the flick. By the way, they ALSO did a review of the wonderful Mallrats DVD in case ya missed it before.
- Kev & Jen’s bundle of joy Harley Quinn is the this Harley site’s “Harley of the Week”, and rightfully so!
- Mallrats babe Claire Forlani‘s been in the news a bit lately…She recently appeared on Leno to promote “Boys & Girls” (in what we hear was a very strange ditzy appearance) and this piece from the IMDB:
Claire Forlani Hates Seeing Herself
Claire Forlani has been lucky enough to star opposite Brad Pitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. – but she insists she’s not beautiful. The British actress says looking good is not at the forefront of her mind, unlike many in Hollywood, and she couldn’t really care less what she looks like. She says, “Style and fashion have never been in the forefront of my attention. I was one of the few who was so grateful to be able to wear a school uniform. I’m not a big mirror person. When I’m not filming I pretty much avoid looking in the mirror. I spare myself. When you’re filming, it’s all very focused on how you look, especially if you’re a girl. So I give myself a break.”
- In other View Askew female news, Joey Lauren Adams will appear in a flick called “Harvard Man”, with NBA star Ray Allen and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Adams is also the subject of a harsh but funny bit on Fametracker, where she’s compared with “Me, Myself & Irene” star Renee Zellweger.
Busy Weekend Commentary…
- We realize these couple pieces of big news are late, but it’s a busy holiday weekend, when the View Askew news usually slows down, but we suppose Kev’s making up for some lost time! Anyway, there’s a few NewsBites to come later this weekend, but between helping folks move, picnics, family functions, and more, it’s been a rat race to say the least. Anyway, check out these HUGE stories below and stop back later for some more new stuff.
Kevin Finishes First Draft Of “View Askew 5″…
- How’s THIS for big news? It seems that the first draft of the final flick to feature View Askewniverse characters has been completed by Kevin, and it sounds like he did exactly what he set out to accomplish. Expect the Askewniverse to close up in a big, funny way. Here’s the first of what we’re sure will be a long line of reports on this film, which expects to start shooting this fall, from Mr. Smith himself:
A Day That Will Live In Infamy…
Alright, not really. But it is kind of noteworthy around here.
I just finished the first draft to ‘View Askew 5′.
That’s the working title, mind you – which has less to do with the content as it does with keeping the actual title and plot secret. Some of you are going to love it, some are going to be disappointed by it, some will hate it. But if you’ve been a fan of all the flicks we’ve done so far, it’d be a hard one to totally disregard.
And it makes the most sense, really. It’s kind of the logical progression, if you think about it (which you can’t, as you don’t know what it’s about yet). There’s a dollop of poignancy, and an assload of belly laughs. Expect no morals or lessons this time around, folks; we’re in funny country now.
Keep your fingers crossed. Jen, Scott, and Vincent will be reading it this weekend. Let’s hope they’re not like “Wow – this is dogshit.”
Watch for more News Askew coverage on View Askew 5 soon (of course!).
Lee Shows Excitement Over “Fletch” Possibility…
- How cool is this? Since Kev announced he’d be doing a new Fletch movie with a younger version of the character, we couldn’t help but think that Jason Lee would be PERFECT for the role — He’s got just the right amounts of charisma, humor, and smarmines to pull it off. And now, excitedly, it seems that Lee would be VERY interested in taking over the role. Check this out:
I am FLATTERED to say the least that there has been some talk of me playing Fletch in the K. Smith Fletch movies. Kevin, congratulations! You know how I feel about working with you. Let’s do this!! Lee in the motherfuckin’ house, Fletch style!
We’ve got 2 votes right here that say give Lee the part sight unseen. He’s a shoe-in. Remember where ya heard it first!
What The Hell Happened???
- Alright, so the Fletch news was a pretty big story…But now Kev’s just EXPLODING with news all over the place! We were just about to write another Newsbite-filled update when a TON of stuff rolled our way. We’ve got news on the upcoming Clerks cartoon DVD, Kev’s opinion on the Fletch deal, and LOTS more. Wow. Okay, first, the BIG stories…